


Developments

by Anonymous



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bighead is a sweet friend, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:53:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28809174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Richard's pregnant. He doesn't know who the father is, nor what he's going to do.(Set during season 5)
Relationships: Erlich Bachmann/Richard Hendricks, Gavin Belson/Richard Hendricks, Jared Dunn/Richard Hendricks, Monica Hall/Richard Hendricks
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [And Baby Makes Six](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15826368) by [SexuallyMonsterous (Alli_Bialystock)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alli_Bialystock/pseuds/SexuallyMonsterous). 



> ok so this fic is ~~blatantly plagiarized~~ inspired by "And Baby Makes Six" from Alli_Bialystock. i've changed a lot of the elements, but yeah.
> 
>   
> this is a fic about Richard getting pregnant and navigating all of that and the relationships he has to other characters. idk i just really want him to have something in his life other than pied piper and for him to need to be taken care of. in this story richard had a miscarriage just after TechCrunch Disrupt that he kept a secret, and he finds out he is pregnant near the beginning of season 5.

The team was supposed to have a normal morning meeting at the Pied Piper offices, just like the many they came together for in the preceding months since renting the space out, and further since the weeks of getting and all those guys from Optimoji and Sliceline. Now with all the new employees, higher staff meetings to try to manage them were more important than ever. But lately Richard’s stomach wasn’t cooperating with the merger.

He interrupted and ducked out of this meeting twice already from the anxiety-inducing vomiting that had become so commonplace in the last few weeks. At least, what he thought was the normal anxiety-inducing vomiting. But now his anxiety was creeping in and telling him that it was something more troubling, creating a sort of vomit soaked feedback loop. One his friends felt the need to weigh their thoughts on.

Richard sighed when he walked back into the conference room only to be met by Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Jared all looking at him in various states of frustration. “Sorry,” he mumbled weakly, sitting back down at the head of the table. “Anyway, what were we talking about?”

“Richard, you’ve been puking every fifteen minutes for like a week,” Dinesh pointed out. “You need to see a fucking doctor.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Richard took a deep gulp of tea from the mug Jared insisted on pushing into his hands every few minutes. He winced; for whatever reason, tea had just been making him sicker. It had been tasting off to him lately, but he couldn’t imagine why. “Jared, could you please grab me a ginger ale?”

Jared looked both worried and slightly hurt, but he hurried to Richard’s office to grab a can from the stockpile Richard had started keeping near his desk.

“It seems like a big deal,” Dinesh continued doggedly. “You can’t get us sick right now, Richard. We can’t afford to have everyone in the office taking sick days when we’re still this early in development.”

“Don’t be a prick about this,” Gilfoyle bluntly added. “We all know how weak Dinesh’s immune system is.”

“I’m fine!” Richard insisted, shuffling in his seat. He’d barely sat down and he was already nauseous again. Fucking stellar. “You guys know my stomach is… finicky. I’m sure I’ll be fine in a couple days.”

“Great, but what about us?!” Dinesh complained. “I don’t want to spend the next two weeks puking my guts out because you’ve infected the entire office, and I’m sure Gilfoyle doesn’t want to either!”

“I don’t get sick,” Gilfoyle said, leaning back and folding his arms over his chest. “Seeing as I do actual labor and even go outside, nothing that you catch could even touch me.” He shot a glance at Richard. 

“That said, Dick - go to the doctor. The hour’s almost up and you’ve spent half the meeting in the bathroom.”

“But-but there’s so much work to do,” Richard said, eyes darting between the two, “and we have a schedule we need to stick to, and there’s a meeting tomorrow with Monica…”

“Somehow we’ll survive without our brave leader for a few days,” Gilfoyle interrupted.

“Besides, if you don’t see a doctor, I literally think you might die,” Dinesh agreed.

Richard sighed and was about to make another argument, but his stomach lurched and he had to fumble under the table for the now-constant companion that was his vomit bucket. When he came up for air, both Dinesh and Gilfoyle were glaring at him. “Okay, point made,” he gasped. “I’ll go to the doctor.”

* * *

It took Jared a while to convince Richard that, now that he had insurance, he should go to a “real” doctor instead of the asshole over at urgent care, but Richard finally acquiesced under the condition that Jared had to drive him there. Richard had gotten to the point where he was late everywhere he went because of all the time it took him to pull over and puke on the side of the road. 

“I think it’s a very wise decision to see a doctor, Richard,” Jared told him gently. He put an arm around Richard’s waist to guide him into the office, but Richard shook him off, annoyed. “We’ve all been really concerned about you.”

“Yeah, Dinesh and Gilfoyle seemed _real_ concerned,” Richard huffed. He unzipped his hoodie when they got inside. “Why is it so hot in here?”

Jared frowned. “I guess I didn’t notice. I can hold onto your hoodie for you.”

Richard shrugged out of the offending garment and handed it to Jared, who took it with the tiny smile of pride that he had on his face every time he did something helpful. “Thanks, Jared.” As cranky and irrationally annoyed as he’d been feeling most of the past couple weeks, Richard really was trying to be nice. He rubbed at his temples, trying to fight back a headache. “And thanks for driving. I’ll pay you back for the gas and everything.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to help.” Jared sounded so earnest when he said it that it made Richard want to cry.

When the nurse called his name, Richard considered asking Jared to come into the back with him, but he managed to shake off the urge. He always hated being alone with anyone new - especially doctors, considering how well his relationship with his last doctor had gone - but he’d gone from “socially awkward” to “painfully clingy” over the course of the past month. He thought it might have something to do with leaving the safety of the hostel for Jared’s condo, or losing Erlich, or maybe just the general stress of taking on a project as big as a new internet, or perhaps the dozens of new employees he was forced to interact with after his frankly disastrous first impression. But whatever it was, it was humiliating. He felt like he couldn’t stand to be alone for more than a few hours in spite of the fact that he was a grown man who usually thrived on silence.

The doctor, Dr. Sandarah, was a sweet-faced Indian woman with a soft, lightly accented voice. She hardly came to Richard’s shoulders, and when they shook hands, hers were soft and warm, and he exuded all the normal kind and soft energy a female omega was expected to. Just her presence helped him relax, and he became less hyper aware of the crinkling paper underneath him and the way his arm still stung from the blood pressure cuff. He was even more relieved when she gestured at him to take a chair rather than leaving him huddled up on the examination table.  
She thumbed through his chart. “I see you’re having some trouble with nausea,” she remarked.

Richard snorted. When she frowned, he explained, “Well, I mean, yeah. But I, uh, usually have problems with it. It’s a stress thing. But lately it’s just gotten completely out of control. Nothing’s helped, and it’s been almost three weeks.”

Dr. Sandarah nodded, making a note to herself. “And how often have these spells of nausea and vomiting been occurring?”

“Um… I dunno. Probably ten times per day? Maybe more?”

She raised her eyebrows and made another note. “I see. And have you been experiencing abnormal levels of stress?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you could say that.” Richard sighed. “My company just moved into new offices and hired a ton of people recently, we’re trying to make a product that no one’s ever created before, and I’m living with my COO because my ex-landlord - who was supposed to be my friend and business partner, but whatever, _fuck me_ I guess - left to go smoke opium in China or something and one of my old roommates went crazy and kicked us all out of our house.” Richard finished his rambling before it would get to be too personal.

“So it’s stressful.” Dr. Sandarah nodded, Richard appreciated that she was at least putting forth great effort to not look bored.

“Yeah. It’s stressful. But honestly, it’s not all that much worse than it’s been since I started the company, and even then, it’s not like I’m just always puking.”

Dr. Sandarah scratched down a few more notes. Richard tried hard not to be interested in what they said. “Alright. Any other symptoms?”

Richard felt another twinge in his temples, and he rubbed at them irritably. “Headaches,” he said shortly. “I’m exhausted. My chest and my back hurt all the time. And I have to pee constantly, which doesn’t make any sense, because nothing seems to reach my stomach anymore anyway.”

Dr. Sandarah’s eyes widened, and Richard wanted to apologize - was it weird to talk about his pee? It was okay to talk to a doctor about pee, right? - but she cut him off with a question. “How have your moods been?”

He shrugged. “Not great. Like I said, I’m really stressed.”

“But do you feel more irritable than usual? Moodier? Are you crying more often than usual?”

He thought back to the previous week, when Dinesh found him on the brink of sobbing in a janitorial closet because he’d just accidentally deleted what he had been working on all morning and discovered they were out of brown sugar for his oatmeal. “Uh. Yeah. Maybe some.”

“Are you finding that you don’t enjoy foods that you used to like, or that they have started making you sick?”

Richard felt a glimmer of hope. “Yeah! It’s really weird, but my favorite tea just grosses me out now. And I used to make myself scrambled eggs all the time, but now just the smell makes me sick.”  
“Do you feel hungry more often than usual? Maybe craving certain foods all the time?”

He laughed a little in sheer relief. ”Yes! It’s so annoying! I have an entire shelf of pecan sandies at work, but I’m still going through them like crazy!” He put a hand to his chest; even though the muscles there were tender, it was nice for him to feel his heart starting to slow. “Wow. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I came in here. I was worried you wouldn’t have any idea what was wrong with me.”  
Dr. Sandarah came him a gentle smile, but her eyes carried a clear warning: don’t get too excited just yet. “Mr. Hendricks, I see here that you’re an omega, yes?”

Just out of reflex, Richard’s legs snapped closed even tighter. He had hoped he’d make peace with his body over the years, but he still felt like an awkward pubescent teenager whenever people brought up his status as a male omega. He wasn’t sure he could ever get used to the way alphas (and the occasional beta) practically growled when they got within sniffing distance of him. But, seeing his doctor shared the dynamic, he tentatively opened up. “I am,” he replied stiffly.

The doctor nodded. “That must be a bit stressful. It’s not common to see omega CEOs.”

It wasn’t common, actually, to see omegas in tech at all. Especially not male omegas. Richard had met a small handful of other omegas in Stanford’s omega group, like Bighead, but otherwise, the only ones he’d met were a couple of scattered relatives. Even alphas - who were also woefully outnumbered by betas - outnumbered omegas by a decent amount.

In the Valley, though, Richard couldn’t recall even casually bumping into another omega. CEOs and VCs were usually alphas, like Laurie, Monica, Gavin, Russ, and even Erlich. Gilfoyle as well. The other guys he worked and lived with had all been betas; most of them. Betas could usually get pretty far, like Jared, could get pretty far, but they always seemed to fall just short of the top. Richard knew his win at Techcrunch alone had inspired endless, tiring think pieces about omega leadership and equality, but he did his best to avoid ever reading them. If he was going to just assume he was going to fail, he’d rather do it because he’d actually screwed up, not because he had a uterus.

“I guess it can be stressful, but I think being a CEO is always stressful,” Richard said, trying to balance his irritation with a certain amount of respect for the doctor. “I don’t think me being an omega really has anything to do with this.”

Dr. Sandarah nodded, but if she’d listened to his response, she gave no indication of it. “Do you use any contraceptives?”

Richard frowned. “I use heat suppressants, yeah. I’ve been on them since high school, though.”

“Do you use them consistently?”

“Yeah. Same time every day. I have a reminder on my phone.”

“Do you still experience any heat symptoms?”

Richard sighed heavily. The line of questioning started to remind him of the doctor he had as a teenager, a young man who’d apparently never even seen an omega before. He’d spent over an hour asking questions about Richard’s reproductive system before even asking why Richard had come in in the first place. “I get kind of a mini heat every month or so, but it’s wildly irregular. But like I said, that’s not unusual for me.”

“Now, was your last period -”

“Jesus!” The remark jumped to Richard’s lips before he could stop it. When Dr. Sandarah raised her eyebrows, he fiddled awkwardly with the arms of his chair. “Sorry, but… is this stuff really important?”

The doctor nodded slowly, putting her notes aside. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hendricks. Most of my patients seem to prefer a certain type of subtlety when discussing these issues, but I’ll be frank. Is there any way you could be pregnant right now?”

It was like all of the wires in Richard’s brain short-circuited at once. “What - I - what - no - I mean - no!”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I noticed that you were prescribed antibiotics a few months ago.”

“Yeah, I just got a little sick! What does that have to do with me being…?” He shook his head, unable to finish the sentence.

“Antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of heat suppressants,” Dr. Sandarah explained. She was keeping as professional a tone as possible, but Richard could see pity in her eyes. _She must’ve just realized I’m a complete idiot. Great._ “If you’re not using any other birth control and you’re sexually active, you could be pregnant. It would explain all of your symptoms.”

Richard’s stomach dropped so hard and fast that it made his head spin. “But I… I can’t be, can I? I mean, I can’t be.”

“Are you sexually active?”

It felt like a surprisingly loaded question. Then again, though, Richard’s last doctor literally laughed in his face any time he expressed concern over STDs or contraceptive use. “Um… sort of. Sometimes. It hasn’t been often, but sometimes when I get a mini heat, someone… helps me through it, I guess.” 

“Have you had a period since the last time you had sex?”

 _I must have._ Richard, like most male omegas, had wildly regular menstrual cycles. He didn’t keep a very good track. Even then it was inconceivable, after all, that Richard wouldn’t have noticed something so Goddamn obvious about his own body, right? 

Except…

Richard was on his feet and barfing into the trash can in the corner before he knew what was happening.


	2. Chapter 2

Why the hell did Richard let Jared take him to that appointment.

Because that just led to here. Now. In Jared’s bathroom, staring at his third positive test in a row.

“Fuck. _Fuck me.”_ Richard stuffed it down like the others into the bottom of the little trash can, like hiding the evidence could stop this reality from closing in. He washed his hands once again neutotically, the soap stung at his shredded nail beds. Catching a glimpse at himself in the mirror once again, he took his eyes away, spread some around his face to cool down, and cupped a handful into his mouth.

After that, he picked up his water bottle and started chugging again.

He needed one to be negative. Just one. And if one came up negative, maybe Richard could ignore this completely. At least one _had_ to be. Law of Probability, right? 

But he couldn’t. No matter the crazy rationalizations he could come up with, his brain was still racked with anxiety over the most clear outcome.

He was fucking pregnant. _Again._

He promised himself he wouldn’t let this happen, not like this. After what happened last time, he said to himself that he wouldn’t get pregnant ever again. He had too much to lose, he would never be taken seriously in tech again. He might run his company into the ground, or VCs would by pulling out funding just thinking he would.

He didn’t have a partner, he didn’t have a _home._ He was technically homeless since Jian Yang kicked him out, if Jared didn’t let him stay in his condo he would be sleeping in his car. He could barely take care of himself most of the time, he hadn’t had a good night’s rest in years or a regular three-solid-meals-a-day (in which two of them weren’t cereal) in even longer.

_A pregnant, homeless, single omega with a multimillion dollar tech startup. Fucking hell._

Richard, still drinking from his water battle, lowered himself into Jared’s bathtub. Slowly, he was sinking himself into the fetal position in the porcelain tub.

He thought back to last time he was in this position. As terribly as he was handling it now, he did even worse back then. He just...ignored it until it was over.

_That must have been two years ago now. Fuck._

It was back when he started Pied Piper for real, just after quitting Hooli. He knew something was off with himself, but he ignored it. He threw himself into his work. So hard he ended up in Urgent Care, where he was finally diagnosed. He was pregnant, and had no partner, no stable living situation, and no job anymore.

So he continued throwing himself into his work, thinking that if he could just get Pied Piper off the ground he would be able to sort things out enough. That, depending on how things went, he could make a decision and be in a place to deal with it.

The all nighters, caffeine binges, and panic attacks leading up to Tech Crunch got to him, and before he made a decision his body made it for him. He had a miscarriage, and he told no one.

 _It was for the best,_ he rationalized to himself later. Things only got crazier from there, and he would have been a terrible parent. Erlich, the suspected father, was not someone who would have wanted to raise a family with Richard, and went missing in the end anyway. If he hadn’t lost the pregnancy, Richard would have terminated not soon after. At least, that’s what Richard rationalized to himself.

But now it was happening again. An unwanted second chance. Richard set his water bottle down and just held his knees for the moment, needing something to hold onto to keep it together. He sat there, breathing deeply, trying to calm himself down, when he heard the door to the condo open and Jared lock the door behind him.

“Richard?” Jared called into the apartment. He set the takeout food he went out to get onto his coffee table. “I’ve brought Thai.” Jared looked around the apartment, but not seeing Richard anywhere he came to the bathroom door and knocked, worried Richard was sick again. “Richard, are you alright?”

“Yes, Jared! I’m _fine.”_ Richard called back. “Just-just give me a moment?! Don’t come in.”

Jared, hand already on the doorknob, pulled it back. “Alright...I’ll set up dinner for you.” The lanky man left to dole out Richard’s plate, just the way he liked it but in a way that wouldn’t upset his stomach. Jared was ever accommodating to Richard’s needs, nearly always too a fault. But Richard knew that if Jared didn’t take care of him then he’d be in an even worse state than he was.

Richard pulled himself out of the tub, and cleaned up the place. He tied off the bag with the remaining tests and shoved it into the back of the sink cabinet, disturbing Jared’s neatly stacked rows of toiletries in an attempt to hide it. He wiped off any water from the counter, and straightened himself out in the mirror. _Richard, don’t be a fucking pussy._ He said to himself before leaving the bathroom. He didn’t want Jared to hover anymore than he already had that night. He didn’t want Jared to worry.

* * *

After dinner, Richard lied awake in bed. Jared’s bed. Just across the bedroom door, he knew the other was sleeping on the pullout couch, despite this being his own condo. Richard had offered to return the bed to Jared before, but Jared insisted. Richard tried to remember the last time he saw Jared in his own bed, and a rush of embarrassment rushed into his body do quickly he grabbed a pillow and pressed into his face to calm down.

After finding out he was pregnant, the doctor tracked back his head cycle to find out how far along he was, and Richard was forced to remember the embarrasing deboucles of a few months back.

He had a heat. One he thought was minor, but if his behavior was anything to account for it must not have been. He should have known sooner, really, that his suppressants weren’t working.

It all started when he met Gavin. Another one of the egomanic billionaire’s clandestine meetings at Josephine’s took an unexpected turn. Richard didn’t know what started first, his heat or Gavin’s rut, but once in close quarters with one another both were fired off. Richard had never been fucked so hard in his _life,_ and in the men’s bathroom of a family-friendly Mexican restaurant no less. Then in Gavin’s car as it self drove to his mansion, then _again_ in his mansion.

Richard finally got out after that wave of his heat. He left Gavin’s mansion in a hurry, dishelvled and panicked at what he had just done. He remembered calling an Uber thinking of what he just did while desperately shoving his shirt back into his jeans.

Next, he called Monica. He needed to talk to her, get advice after what he just did and how to move forward. He thought his heat was over. It usually was after one wave. But once Monica opened the door to her office after a long night of working late to the sight and smell of an omega in the throws of heat with the stench of sex fuming off of him, the alpha woman couldn’t stop herself. Neither could Richard.

Richard had never been fucked harder by a woman in his life. Daresay, it was the only hetero sex that had ever been close to not painfully awkward. Monica took control, and knew just what to do and did it with power and grace. Once it was over, she cleared her throat, wiped off her smudged lipstick, and called Richard an Uber. Even throwing him out was done with professionalism.

Richard, then knowing he was thoroughly defiled, went the only place he knew he could: to Jared. He couldn’t have gone back to the hostel like that, he would never have the guys’ respect again. And finding himself in a house full of sexually frustrated betas and alphas? That could not be something that ended in a functional working relationship.

So he went to Jared. As he always did. His confidant, his closest friend. He came to Jared dishevled and shaking, vulnerable in a way he had been told to hide ever since he hit puberty. He came to Jared fuming with shame, and fell into his arms. Then into his bed. 

In the morning, Richard told Jared not to speak of it. Jared agreed, and Richard forced himself to look away so he wouldn’t see the clear pain in his friend’s eyes. Richard knew that Jared loved him enough to do whatever Richard asked, including pretending he didn’t.

Richard stayed home sick that morning, and put together the bricks of a mental wall to block out those two days. Those days he became what he was always ashamed of, what he was always expected and refused to be. A stupid little omega slut, someone with no control, just a sloppy bitch for alphas to have their way with and to be happy of it. Richard would regain his control, he would go into work the next week clear and sure of himself, at least as much as he was normally. And he would work.

And for now, he lay in another man’s bed alone, with a pillow over his face and his head running millions of lines a minute. If he could build an algorithm that processed data faster than his anxiety, than he would really be a billionaire.


	3. Chapter 3

Even though the urine test he’d taken at the doctor’s office (and the ten he’d taken at home) all came back positive, Richard was still hoping it was some kind of fluke. It wasn’t until he got the results of his blood test three days later that he finally made an appointment with an obstetrician and pulled Jared, Gilfoyle, and Dinesh aside for a private meeting after hours. It had been a long day, and Dinesh and Gilfoyle were sniping at each other even more than usual while Jared attempted to keep the peace, but Richard knew if he didn’t do it when he was still in too much shock to really register what was happening, he’d never tell them. He’d probably just disappear back to Arizona and never speak to them again.

“So, uh, thank you guys for staying late,” he started, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. He couldn’t bring himself to sit down, but he made sure there was a trash can within puking distance while he fumbled. “I know it’s not ideal, but this is really, really important.”

Three faces - one politely earnest, one disinterested, one irritated - looked back at him.

“Um. Well.” Richard swallowed hard. If he’d eaten anything that day, he was sure it would be coming back up, but he’d been fasting for this exact moment. He wondered very briefly if that would hurt the baby, then if he would mind. “I have some big news.”

“Are we getting raises?” Dinesh asked, eyes lighting up. “Company cars? Bonuses for all our hard work?”

“Are we getting a new margarita machine?” Gilfoyle chimed in. “The last one broke.”

Richard sighed. “It’s not company news. It’s more personal stuff, I guess.”

Dinesh and Gilfoyle both looked irritated, but Jared perked up. Richard couldn’t help but wonder how long that was going to last.

“Are you dying?” Gilfoyle asked.

“And if so, who gets to be CEO? Because I really think I learned a lot the first time around,” Dinesh added.

“Jesus Christ, I’m not dying!” Richard snapped. “But if I was, I’d appreciate you guys being, I don’t know, a little less excited about it!”

“If you’re not dying or possibly dying, then what are we doing here?” Dinesh complained. “We have lives, Richard. We have other things to do.”

“And what, exactly, is it that you have to do?” Gilfoyle flatly asked him, watching him out of the corner of his eye as he goaded him.

“Fuck you, Gilfoyle. You don’t know my life. I could be expanding my horizons now that I’m not being brought down by all of you people and living in Erlich’s shitty incubator.”

“You could be. But you aren’t.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do.”

“Oh? And what evidence do you have?”

“I’ve met you. That’s all the evidence I need.”

Richard screwed up his eyes and put his fingertips to his temples. His head was starting to throb. “Richard?” He looked down to see Jared looking up at him, concerned. “Do you have a headache? Do you need to take something for it?”

“No. I mean, _yes,_ I have a headache, but I don’t know if I can take anything, or if I should.”

“Why not?” Jared’s frown deepened even more, his attention now completely taken off his bickering coworkers. “Are you sick? Did you receive bad news at the doctor’s office? No matter what it is, we’ll handle it. We can put the project on hiatus if we absolutely have to. Let me make some calls…” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and started hastily scrolling through his contacts.

With Jared’s fretting, Dinesh and Gilfoyle fighting, and the headache pounding at his temples, Richard hit his breaking point. He yelled, “For fuck’s sake, you guys, I’m fucking _pregnant!”_

If Richard wanted quiet, that was clearly the way to get it. All noise ceased so quickly it felt like he’d suddenly gone deaf. “Oh shit,” Dinesh breathed, slumping back in his seat. Gilfoyle just blinked. Jared clapped a hand to his mouth, tears welling in his eyes.

“It’s ten weeks.” Richard pointed awkwardly to his stomach. “I mean, the… thing has been in there for ten weeks.”

“Oh, Donald, you’re unraveling!” Jared wailed, putting his face in his hands and crying in earnest.

“Fuck, Richard.” Gilfoyle seemed genuinely surprised, in his own way, but nothing showed in his face. His shock displaced itself in his body, in his slight tensing. Now he understood the different scent coming off Richard as of late, and now he wished he really didn’t.

“Oh. Shit.” Dinesh swallowed hard. “What are you...uh...are you gonna...y’know??”

Richard shook his head. “Yes, or, _no._ I mean, I’m not technically saying anything, because I don’t know.”

Dinesh nodded, understanding that Richard had a big choice to make regarding parenthood. “Whose is it?” Dinesh asked. He had known Richard years, but was completely unaware that the other had taken up a partner. He had known Richard’s honestly disastrous romantic life to be worse than his own, but perhaps he was wrong on that front.

“I’m loathe to admit curiosity as well,” Gilfoyle added, “You having sex might the be the most surprising occurrence here.”

Jared looked over at Richard and let out a happy sob once again.

“To be honest? I’m not totally sure.” Richard crossed his arms tightly and tucked his hands under his armpit. He felt mortified, not only by the prying into his sexual history but by the fact he didn’t know himself.

Dinesh’s stunned expression suddenly sharpened. “Wait. What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“I mean…” Richard uncrossed his arms and instead put them in front of himself, pressing his hands firmly onto his lap and leaning forward. “I don’t know who the father is. At least, not exactly. Not for sure. I mean, there are candidates, obviously, but -”

“Candidates?” Dinesh asked, wide-eyed, his voice growing louder as he spoke. “Candidates? As in with an ‘s’? As in plural?!”

Richard’s posture stiffened, and he dropped his gaze. “That’s sorta why I wanted you all to meet me,” he said, the words rushing out of him. “Apparently, a couple months ago when I thought I was having a bad mini heat, I guess it was actually a real heat because of a drug interaction that my _dickhead_ doctor didn’t tell me about, and I… Well.” He shrugged helplessly. “You guys might remember that, I assume. When I took off sick.”

“Yes. So that’s what you were doing? Getting fucked while we all worked our asses off?” Gilfoyle now felt a little bad about ribbing Richard for skipping a day of work when he had seen him power through the flu before. But there was something else beginning to seethe in him...was it jealousy? Fuck these alpha hormones. As an anarchist, Gilfoyle tried to disregard dynamics. As an asshole, he didn’t respect Richard as much as he did twenty minutes ago.

“Who were you even getting fucked _by?”_ Dinesh was still hung up on this. “How the hell do you have a more active sex life than me Mr. ‘My Laptop Is My Girlfriend?’”

Richard cringed, but nonetheless took a deep breath and screwed his eyes shut tight before he said, “That’s kind of _personal,_ Dinesh, but if you have to know this all fucking started with Gavin _fucking_ Belson.”

It was so quiet that Richard almost expected the other guys to be gone when he opened his eyes. Instead, they were all just frozen. Richard quickly looked down at his abdomen. He wanted to disappear, just sink through the floor. For a second, he had been consumed by an ambient fear for the fetus, though he couldn’t explain why.

 _“Gavin fucking Belson?!_ Dinesh yelled in utter shock and horror.

Jared looked at Richard in honest and horrified concern. He had been under Gavin’s thumb once, used as a ragdoll for the billionaire to toss around and use. That kind of abuse was something he felt a sinking feeling in his whole body at the thought of Richard having to endure.

“Or Erlich, maybe. Monica…” Richard continued, putting his hands over his eyes to avoid eye contact. Specifically Jared’s...he should have spoken to Jared first, alone. He realized this now. He looked away not to see if he caused Jared to feel rejected.

Abruptly, Gilfoyle stood. Richard tried to choke out his name, but it was no use; he just turned and walked silently out of the conference room.  
Dinesh’s remarks about Gavin slowly halted as he watched him go. “Is he okay?” he asked.

Richard shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said, but if he had to guess, he’d say Gilfoyle was doing significantly worse than okay. Gilfoyle didn’t do well with sudden life changes, and he had known that the Satanist felt _something_ about Monica. “Maybe you should go make sure he’s alright.”

Dinesh looked ready to argue, but he seemed to realize he was being given an excuse to leave the incredibly awkward situation he was currently in. Richard marveled at how quickly he darted out of the room; for a guy who got a stitch in his side walking to the mailbox, he could really move when properly motivated.

The adrenaline seemed to have drained out of Richard’s body, and he wilted, sliding down into a chair. He put his face in his hands, unable to stomach looking at Jared. He wanted to say something, anything, to make this better, but he didn’t know where to start. He decided to do what he usually did: open his mouth, start talking, and hope he could make it to the end of a sentence without puking. 

“Jared, I’m just so, so sorry. I don’t know what to tell you. I just -” He didn’t get any further than that before he was swept out of his chair and up in a crushing hug. He would never have guessed that Jared had that much strength in his spindly arms, but he thought his spine was going to snap from the pressure. Richard felt something wet and realized that Jared was sobbing into the crook of his neck. Richard raised a hand to pat him awkwardly on the back.

“Oh, Richard,” Jared wept over and over. “Oh, Richard.”

After a few minutes, Richard finally got annoyed enough to ask, “Um, Jared, would you mind, uh, letting me go? I’m having trouble breathing.” What about the baby? Did it get squished? He knows they don’t breathe, but they need oxygen, right? Once he was released, Richard rubbed his eyes. He wasn’t even sure if he was keeping the stupid thing, and here he was, worrying about it getting hurt from a hug, but his anxiety was often irrational.

Jared looked down at Richard with misty eyes, wrapping his arms around himself tight. Richard realized after a moment that the manic look on Jared’s face was one of joy. “I’m so sorry. I’m just so… Oh, I’m so happy, Richard.” He hiccupped a little, his big blue eyes fixed on Richard’s stomach. “You’re with child.”

“Yeah,” Richard muttered with a bitter laugh. “With someone’s.”

Jared’s brows furrowed, and he took Richard gently by the shoulders. Richard tilted his head back to look at him, expecting a lecture on how he shouldn’t slut-shame himself or a story about the many brave single omega mothers Jared inexplicably knew. Instead, Jared said, “It’s not just someone’s child. It’s _yours._ And that makes it the luckiest, most wonderful child in the world.”  
Richard felt tears welling in his own eyes. He decided to blame them on the hormones instead of the almost supernaturally sweet man in front of him. “I just want you to know that you don’t have to do anything, okay? I mean, I can get a paternity test, if you want, but I’m not gonna force you to take care of me or the - y’know. If it comes down to that.”

Jared shook his head, chuckling. “I don’t care about any of that. Honestly, I know chances are low that I would be the father. But, Richard, none of that matters. This baby is yours, and that’s good enough for me. I would already do anything for them. Family has nothing to do with genetics. I want to have as much of a role in this child’s life as you’ll let me have, please. You and the father, of course - I won’t do anything to stand between the two of you or make things awkward between them and the child if they want to be in their life. But if they’re not, and if you’re willing to have the help…” Jared took Richard’s hands in his own, holding them like something delicate and precious, brushing his fingers over Richard’s skin in awe. “I would be honored to offer you whatever support you could need. I already love this baby more than anything.”

Richard bit his lip, his empty stomach clenching anxiously. “Jared,” he said, his voice breaking. He cleared his throat. He didn’t want to say it, but he had to make himself clear. “I don’t know if I’m keeping it yet.” Honestly, Richard just felt cruel. For taking advantage of Jared’s love for him, for making this conversation he should have had with him alone with Dinesh and Gilfoyle. For giving Jared the faintest glimpse of a real family and then tossing it away. So cruel.

Jared’s face crumpled, and he blinked rapidly. “Oh. Yes. Of course. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel… pressured.”

“You didn’t,” Richard quickly insisted. “Seriously. I just wanted you to know.”

Jared nodded stiffly.

“And it’s not like I’ve made my decision. I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” Richard felt like he was drowning in panic. The pain in Jared’s eyes was so unbearably clear, and it only became more so the harder Richard backpedaled. “This isn’t - I’m not making a rash decision here. I’m giving this a chance.”

Jared’s gaze dropped to Richard’s hands on his own. He gently let go and fiddled anxiously with his own fingers. “It’s fine. I understand. This is your decision to make, of course. Your body, your choice.”  
Richard bit his lip. “Jared…”

Jared looked back up, and Richard saw that his eyes were glassy. “I’m sorry, but I have a meeting to get to. I support you either way, and I want to help however I can.” He hurried to the door with surprising speed; it was easy for Richard to forget how long those legs were. With one hand on the door handle, he hesitated. “And, Richard?”

“Yeah?”

“Even if you decide not to keep it, I hope it’s not out of line for me to say congratulations.”

Richard stood, rooted to the same spot as he watched Jared disappear out the door and pass by the glass walls of the meeting room. He slowly sank into the chair behind him, exhausted, his stomach churning. He put his head in his hands and sighed.

He had choices to make.


	4. Chapter 4

Richard could feel Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Jared staring at him as he loaded up his messenger bag and tore out of the building one afternoon the next week. He had tried to be nonchalant, but they must have seen the note on his calendar reading “sonogram,” because they’d all been uncomfortably silent that morning. Not that that was too weird - they’d all been painfully awkward with him since the announcement. Jared was being neurotically helpful, constantly hovering over Richard’s shoulder, silently nibbling his lower lip. Gilfoyle had barely said five words to him. Dinesh, surprisingly, was handling it best: he could still talk to Richard, but he couldn’t look at him while he did it. Every conversation Richard had with Dinesh involved the beta staring intently at the floor.

He let out a sigh of relief when he slumped into the back seat of his Uber. Bighead looked at him sympathetically from the other side of the car. “Rough day?” Richard had come to Bighead just after the other guys. Bighead was his oldest friend, and the only other male omega he knew. He just thought that...he would understand. And Bighead was airheaded enough to not make Richard panic at every little thing he said, because he said them with such nonchalant candor.

“I’ve thrown up seven times, and I found Jared looking at the Baby Gap website.” Richard dragged his hands over his face. “I already can’t wait for this to be fucking over, y’know?”

Bighead raised his eyebrows. “Oh. So, uh, does that mean you’ve made a decision?”

“What? Oh.” Richard frowned and pretended to dig around for something in his bag. “Not really. Or, I don’t think I have yet.”

The truth was that, as much as the idea of being a parent petrified Richard to his very core, he hadn’t really thought about terminating. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to think of it; he would have described it as the obvious choice if the situation were hypothetical.

But it wasn’t hypothetical - rather, the baby in Richard’s womb was very, very real, and he still hadn’t looked up nearby abortion clinics. He hadn’t even googled the word “abortion.” Every time he thought of it, his stomach would seize and his heart would drop. The life inside of him may have felt like a little alien, but it was a little alien he was already somehow invested in. If that was omega hormones or his own painful clinginess fucking with him, he didn’t know, but he knew it made making a choice much harder.

“That’s okay, man.” Bighead’s voice was gentle. “You’ve still got time, right?”

“Yeah.” Richard had no idea if that was true or not.

“And either way, it’ll be alright. If you wanna keep it, dope. If not, equally dope. And if it gets too late to, uh, y’know, then you can always do an adoption thing.”

 _Richard Hendricks, founder and CEO of revolutionary startup Pied Piper, has placed his unborn child up for adoption. “I just want to focus on my work,” the selfish monster reportedly whined during a press conference this evening._ Richard shook himself out of his imagined public humiliation. “I guess.” He dug his hands into his pockets and glared at the headrest in front of him. “I just don’t wanna think about it. It’s just so… much.”

“Yeah,” Bighead agreed. “It’s definitely a lot to process. But at least you’re not alone, right? I mean, a lot of the potential dads are still around.”

Richard snorted. “I wouldn’t say that. I don’t think Monica is going to be rushing to change diapers or anything.”

“I dunno, she could get into it.” At Richard’s skeptical look, Bighead shrugged. “But I think Monica would at least wanna give you some money or something. And Gavin would definitely buy you off so you keep quiet about the whole thing.”

“Probably. Maybe I should just take the money from Gavin and retire. At least then there’d be one thing in my life I wouldn’t be constantly panicking about.”

The two fell silent. Richard closed his eyes, trying to fight back the weak beginnings of nausea once again. He breathed slowly - in through the nose, out through the mouth, in through the nose, out through the mouth - and his thoughts melted away as he focused on calming his stomach and his nerves. After a minute, the clenching in his gut ceased, and he was left in a state of peaceful meditation.  
When he opened his eyes, Richard spoke without thinking. “Jared would be a good dad.”

If Bighead noticed his best friend’s horror and embarrassment, he didn’t let on. Instead, he thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, he probably would be. He’s pretty nurturing.” Bighead then took a sip out of his big gulp.

“He’s just so on top of it,” Richard added. He rubbed absently at his belly with his thumb, then quickly stopped in apprehension and embarrassment. 

It was as if Bighead had unlocked something in him just by letting him speak, and Richard’s mouth was suddenly moving a million miles an hour. “When he’s not around, I’m lucky if I remember to eat three meals a day. What the fuck is that? That’s not a parent. At the very least, Jared needs to parent me so I can parent my kid.”

He didn’t know when the clump of matter in his uterus had become his “kid.” He wasn’t willing to examine it too much.

“You think he’d do it? Help you raise the kid, I mean.”

“He said he would.” Richard ran a hand over his stomach, remembering the heartbreak on Jared’s face when he heard there might not be a baby to raise in the first place. “That feels kinda fucked up to me, though. I mean, there’s only a one in four chance it’s his. And I hate to say it, but I just feel like it’s more likely that it was an alpha with how crazy fertile they are.”

“Isn’t that a myth?”

Richard thought for a second. “I don’t know. Maybe. Either way, it feels really weird to let Jared raise a kid that only has a 25% chance at most of being his.”

“I guess,” Bighead mused slowly. “But that kinda means you wouldn’t let any of them raise it, then.”

Richard thought for a second. “Shit. Yeah. That’s true.”

“So, what does that mean? You won’t raise it with any of them?”

The question filled Richard with such a powerful helplessness that he collapsed against the car door beside him. He sighed and closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose.

“Y’know, man.” Bighead’s voice was gentle. “Jared wouldn’t have offered if he wasn’t willing to do it.”

“I know. I just don’t know the best way to do this. What if more than one of them wants the kid?”

Bighead shrugged. “Well, at least we know Gavin won’t.”

The Uber driver twitched at hearing Gavin’s name, and Richard finally noticed him staring at him in the rear view. He sunk into his seat and closed his eyes, trying to pretend he didn’t exist for the rest of the ride. When they arrived, he shot out of the car, sending the Uber driver a five-star rating without saying a word. Bighead, apparently unaware of Richard’s discomfort, loped after him at a leisurely pace.

The first thing Richard noticed about the waiting room was that it was almost entirely women. Only one other man was visibly pregnant, but Richard didn’t smell another omega. Must be a trans beta? He had always known that male omegas were rare, especially in Silicon Valley, but he had never felt as painfully singled out as he did then. Bighead, oblivious, started rifling through a copy of Highlights from a nearby end table.

When Richard’s name was called, he was relieved that Bighead followed him without being asked. The nurse’s exuberance made his head throb, and he couldn’t bring himself to answer anything. Bighead fielded her questions while she took the CEO’s vitals. “So, are you Dad?” The nurse looked at the shorter man with a wide grin.

“What? Oh, no. We’re just friends.” Bighead talked in that way where his words were let out with a light chuckle.

The nurse nodded, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around Richard’s bicep. “And is the father an alpha or a beta?”

Richard and Bighead exchanged a quick, awkward look. “We actually aren’t totally sure,” Bighead said slowly.

Richard’s ears burned as the nurse turned to give him a surprised look. “Oh! I see.” She patted his shoulder gently as she measured his heartbeat. “Well, things happen!”

After a few more minutes of listening, Richard finally cleared his throat. “Would the doctor be able to tell me about my… _options?”_ The word felt weighty in his mouth.

The nurse froze for a second, then gave him a gentle smile. “Of course.”

“Okay. Cool. Not that I don’t know what they are,” he added, suddenly nervous. He could see Bighead cringing, but he couldn’t stop talking. “There’s only really three, right? Adoption, abortion, or parenthood. Unless there’s another one, but that wouldn’t make sense. You can’t do, like, a one-month trial. Can you?”

The nurse’s smile had turned awkward. “The doctor will be with you shortly,” she said, and she darted out the door.

Richard sighed, and Bighead shook his head. “Jesus, Richard,” he breathed.

“I know.” Richard rubbed his eyes. “At this point, I don’t think they’d let me keep it.”

“Yeah. It almost feels negligent on their part.”

Richard was relieved when the doctor entered. She was the kind of pretty that shocked him; she looked like she should be playing a doctor in a movie rather than standing in front of him. When she smiled, it calmed his rattled nerves. “Mr. Hendricks, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Sinclaire. You’re at twelve weeks, yes?” At his nod, she continued. “And I was told you’d like to discuss your options?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, yeah.”

“Would you like a referral for a clinic or an adoption agency?”

Somehow, both of those options felt like he was moving too fast. “Um, I don’t know. Not right now, I don’t think.”

“Okay,” she said patiently. “So what exactly would you like me to help you with?”

Richard looked over at Bighead, who shrugged helplessly. Richard wrapped his arms around himself. “I… I guess I don’t know. I mean… What do you think?”

He knew it was a stupid question when he asked it. Fortunately, it seemed like Dr. Sinclaire had heard it before. “I can’t tell you what’s right for you. All I can say is that you should do whatever you feel is best for your situation.”

“Everyone keeps saying that, but it just feels like that’s code for ‘get an abortion,’” Richard admitted.

Dr. Sinclaire’s elegant brow wrinkled in a frown. “Why?”

Richard shrugged awkwardly, his eyes on the floor. He didn’t want to look at the gorgeous doctor or his best friend. “I’m a CEO. I don’t have a partner. I spend half my day having a panic attack. Can’t remember to feed myself or sleep.” He shook his head. “I don’t really sound like much of a parent, y’know?”

Dr. Sinclaire touched his arm gently. “You’d be surprised. Families come in all shapes.” She patted the paper-covered pillow at the head of the examination table. “Now, Richard, would you like to see your baby?”

Richard’s heart jumped into his throat. The idea made his stomach squirm, but in the pleasant way a roller coaster or holding hands did. “Okay, yeah. Sure.”

Bighead sat down in the other chair and watched as Dr. Sinclaire she readied the sonogram machine and squirted a dollop of freezing gel onto Richard’s stomach. Richard was laying awkwardly and stiff on the table, feeling quite literally like his belly was exposed. “Oh shit, dude! You’ve got a baby bump!”

“A little, yeah.” Richard looked down at the slight puff above his waistband. With all his vomiting, he had known for a fact he lost nearly ten pounds, making him even more skinny than he thought was possible. But still, there it was, and it was the first time he really noticed or looked. “Is that normal?”

“Everyone's a little different,” Dr. Sinclaire said, “But it’s pretty common. Right now, the fetus is about the size of a lime.”

“Whoah, really?” Bighead asked. Richard was equally surprised. He didn’t realize how big that lump of cells had gotten.

“Yup! It’s just started developing white blood cells, too.”

“Wow.” Richard was tempted to poke at his baby bump, but he thought better of it. Suddenly, he said, “Wait. I haven’t felt it kick yet. Is that bad, or something?”

“Not at all. It’s too early for you to be able to feel the fetus moving. That won’t happen for another month or so.” Dr. Sinclaire watched the sonogram screen intently. Richard, too nervous to look at the screen, felt his heart race when her face brightened. “There we are.” She smiled down at Richard. “Would you like to take a look?”

The shape on the screen was only barely recognizable as a baby; it reminded Richard of an impressionist painting of a baby with its massive head and tiny limbs. The picture on the screen squirmed, and he could just make out the early formations of a face in the grainy image. His heart clenched, and he gasped. Beside him, Bighead whispered, “Dang.”

“Would you like to hear the heartbeat?”

Richard couldn’t even speak. He just nodded.

It felt like it took the doctor forever to find the baby’s heartbeat, and Richard was on the verge of panicking. What if she can’t find it? What if the baby doesn’t have a heart? Is that possible? But he recognized the sound even before Dr. Sinclaire told him to listen.

 _Woosh. Woosh. Woosh._ The sound was as soft and rapid as hummingbird wings. It soaked in and soothed him like a warm bath. He closed his eyes and listened, the animalistic omega and over-analytical programmer in him both completely, blissfully satisfied.

* * *

He returned to work after his sonogram, feeling both spaced out and more grounded. It was an odd feeling. One of peace, but at the cusp of reckoning. Not the calm before the storm, but the resigned contentment of watching a hurricane crash against the house around you.

Jared tried to hover and ask how it went, but Richard waived him off. Said they would discuss it later. He instead returned to his office, his glass fucking box, and started to work.  
But he couldn’t work. Despite opening the laptop and staring at the lines of code at the screen, his head couldn’t click into the normal gear he got into when he hyper focused on work. As welcome as that hyper focus was on _anything_ but his current situation, it just didn’t come.

His left hand dropped down from his keyboard, and instead rested itself on his lower abdomen, just holding there still. Like if he could stay focused enough, he could hear the heartbeat again.

He opened his email, and there he opened the pictures of the sonogram. He stared at them, and he felt his stomach, and he knew. He couldn’t give this up. This baby, this chance he had for a family. He had lost that once before, and he was too old and too busy to ever get one again.

His entire life he had been taught to be ashamed of being an omega. Taught to repress and loathe his body and his desires. He taught himself to believe that he didn’t want the life that was expected of him, that he didn’t want children. He tried to pass as beta for years. It didn’t always work, but he tried. When he found his passion for code, he resigned omegahood as completely as he could. But...perhaps…

Richard was hesitant to think he could possibly have it all, but a rare glimpse of optimism stuck in him. He wanted this, he wanted his baby, though he knew he was going to be in over his head. He wanted this and he wanted to be ready for it.

He took his hand off of his abdomen and pulled out his phone. If he was going to do this, he had calls to make.


	5. Chapter 5

**_BEEP_ **

“Hey, Monica. It’s me. I mean, it’s, uh… It’s Richard. Hendricks. Richard Hendricks. From Pied Piper? Yeah, you probably figured that out… I mean, you probably only know, like, one Richard Hendricks, right? But anyway, I just… I need to talk to you. About some, uh, not-work stuff. Call me as soon as you can, please?”

**_BEEP_ **

“Gavin, it’s Richard Hendricks. Look, I know you don’t want to talk to me, but it’s actually pretty important. I really need to tell you something. Give me a call when you’re willing to listen.”

**_BEEP_ **

“Hey, it’s me. I don’t know if you even check this anymore, or if you can, or if you’re… Well. I wanted to call just in case. Something really big has come up, and I really don’t feel right telling you on a voicemail, okay? So if you get this, text me, I guess. Or call. Anything. Just let me know you’re alive.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard meets with Monica.

“Jesus, Richard.” Monica leaned back into her office chair and looked up at the ceiling tiles. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before leaning back forward.

“I know. Sorry.” Richard rang his hands and looked down at his lap. He and her were alone, in the same office where it happened. He couldn’t look at the carpet without a mortified blush.

“It’s not totally your fault. Is it?” Monica sighed. “Alright. So. Let’s start at bullet notes again.” 

Richard nodded to agree.

“So you went into heat with Gavin Belson.”

“Yes.”

“Hooli founder and CEO Gavin Belson.”

“Yes.”

“Not only did you and Gavin Belson have sex three times, one of which in public, you then came here and had sex with me, your VC.”

Richard cleared his throat and tensed more again. “I think you can verify that one.”

“Which then led to you having sex with your COO.”

“Jared, yes, you know him.”

“But also had sex with Erlich, who is currently missing in Tibet and declared legally dead withen the same time frame,” Monica raised an eyebrow, “And are now twelve weeks pregnant.”

“Yes,” Richard cleared his throat again and chewed this inside of his lips. “I thought we just went over this.”

“We did, I just needed to condense your rambling.” Monica let out a curt sigh and then pulled back some of the hair in her face. “That was a busy week for you, I take it?”

Richard almost laughed. “Yeah, well. Gotta get out sometime.”

Monica raised her eyebrows again, and folded her hands together. She was taking a moment to process, being the professional she had spent years becoming. “Any way you look at this it’s kind of a shitshow.”

Richard now did laugh, “Oh, I know.”

“I’d say we shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch, but that would go against the very foundations of venture capital. Let’s take this one scenario at a time.” Monica leaned back into her chair, but with a more correct posture. “Scenario number one: It’s Gavin’s. He’ll find out and threaten you into signing an NDA, give you a hefty sum of child support, or sue for full custody. The press might find out, causing a scandal unlike anything I’ve seen here in the Valley, and putting your personal life under a magnifying glass for the whole world to speculate about and possibly ruin your company’s reputation beyond repair.”

“Sounds awesome.” Richard said sarcastically. Monica confirming his worst fears was validating yet anxiety inducing.

“Scenario number two: It’s Erlich’s. He’s missing and declared dead so it’s unlikely people would think it is him, but he wouldn’t give you any support. If anyone finds out it will be the talk of the town for a day or so before people move on.” Monica shrugged.

Richard nodded. Even if Erlich was still around, he would have expected him to be a deadbeat.

“Scenario number three: It’s Jared’s. People already think you’re dating so that wouldn’t really phase anyone.”

Richard balked. “They don’t think we’re -- who?? No.” He shook his head dismissively. Monica just raised her eyebrows at his little spiff and moved on.

“Number four: It’s mine.” She sighed and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. “Listen, Richard, I don’t really see anything between us happening. Ever.”

“Okay, ouch, me neither.” Richard muttered under his breath.

“But I’m not a deadbeat. If it is mine I’ll be happy to work out a child support payment plan or co-parenting. Anything you would need. Granted the paternity test confirms it.”

“Alright. Good to know.” Richard nodded. It was a bit cold, but at least he understood where he and Monica stood with one another and he hadn’t expected, nor wanted, anything more.

“Or, scenario number five: you get an abortion and just avoid this whole thing.” Monica said bluntly.

“What?” Richard asked. He thought Monica was Catholic?

“Richard, you’re an omega. And you’re a man. And you’re the CEO of a fledgling startup in Silicon Valley. You’re single, currently homeless, and a mess. Even if we disregard the circumstances of your personal life and workload, I don’t think that you could handle the pressure of everyone talking and gawking at you.” Monica opened her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, then looked for her lighter. “No offense Richard but you’re a wreck.” She then lit her cigarette and put it to her lips. “Don’t tell Laurie.” She gestured to the thing.

“Yeah, I get that.” Richard readjusted himself in his chair, but no matter how he sat he would be uncomfortable being here. Especially with the smell of her cigarette making his stomach turn inside out. It was a good thing he already threw up right before meeting her. “I know it’s going to be fucking hard and embarassing and a disaster, but that’s my whole life. Especially since starting this company. I don’t want to give up everything else just for that.”

Monica took a long drag of her cigarette, and blew out slowly towards the wall as she looked at him. “Are you sure?”

“About as sure as I’m capable of.” Richard nodded, he gulped back a dry heave.

“So,” Monica shrugged. “Then I guess you’re doing this. Take care of yourself, Richard. You’re turning green.”

“Yep.” Richard tried to take in another deep breath to soothe his nausea, but instead the smoke just made him sicker. He stood up hastily and held onto his mouth. “I gotta go-” Before he could finish his sentence he threw up bile onto her glass door.

“Aw…” Monica cringed in disgust and put her cigarette out. “Yeah. Get a mint from the lobby on your way out.”

“Your treat?”


	7. Chapter 7

It’s been a couple weeks since his conversation, and Richard was starting to adjust. He got a prescription for his nausea, and it worked wonders. He was down to vomiting less than three times a day. The idea of having this child was settling in his head more, he could think about it without getting a panic attack most of the time. He was trying to be healthier, emphasis on trying.

Things at work were starting to be like they had always been. Stressful. Things with the guys had been like they had since he told them. Strained. Dinesh could talk to him but their conversations would be painfully awkward if about anything other than code, Gilfoyle still said hardly anything to him, and Jared was hovering now more than ever. Jared was constantly asking if Richard was okay or needed anything, so much so the other employees were asking if Richard _was_ still sick. He didn’t want any of them to know yet, but any distance he asked Jared for just let to something more awkward.

At the moment, he was expected to be pulling another long haul code sprint after most of the employees bailed. He was locked in and hyper focused, blaring dubstep through his headphones and typing threw stiff fingers. His eyes stung from not blinking and staring at a computer screen for the past ten hours, and his back hurt from the horribly uncomfortable posture he had slouched into. He was hungry, but ignoring it and the sandwich Jared placed on his desk for him. Any distractions were unwelcome.

Richard was so locked in, that when he got up to change the progress on his current task on the SCRUM board, it was too late to notice when he wasn’t okay. One minute he was upright, the next minute he was so nauseous, hungry, and dizzy that he spun around, and smashed right through the glass wall of his office.

When he woke up in the hospital with a nasty headache and bandages where the glass had cut in, he had to admit that he pushed himself too far. His dickhead urgent care doctor told him so, and that he was lucky he wasn’t hurt worse and that his baby was okay. Richard _knew_ he was lucky for that.

“Ow,” Richard winced. He was in Jared’s bathroom with the door open, taking off his bandages to replace and disinfect his wounds. 

“Richard, let me help.” Jared came in from the kitchen, where he was making something for dinner.

“I can do it, it’s fine.” Richard said, but Jared had taken the peroxide-soaked cotton ball out of his hands.

“I insist, Richard. I’ve been the target of enough thrown beer bottles to know how to treat glass wounds.” Jared gently dabbed at the cuts on Richard’s arm, holding it delicately in his hand.

“Oh, Okay,” Richard tensed at first, but then relaxed, just barely holding his breath in anticipation of each sting of disinfectant. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Richard.” Jared continued, but as he did, his face became more and more worried. “Richard?”

“Yeah?”

“I hope it isn’t out of line for me to ask this of you, but please...can you take it easy?” Jared said. “We were all worried about you. I’m always worried about you.”

Richard sighed, and he gently pulled his arm away. He picked up some fresh bandages to put on, but Jared wordlessly took over again. “I know I need to. I’ve always been shit at taking care of myself, but it’s definitely gotten worse. But there’s just too much that I need to do for Pied Piper”

“Please, Richard. Dinesh or Gilfoyle can take over some of your assignments. You need to rest before something like this happens again.” Jared said. He paused once more and spoke. “I’m worried about your baby, Richard.” Richard had told Jared not to say anything about the baby at work, and Jared saw how uncomfortable Richard seemed when Jared brought it up. At first, Jared tried to give him time to make a decision. If Richard was aborting he wouldn’t bring it up. But as time had gone on, and Richard hadn’t terminated, it was fair to assume that Richard wasn’t going to. Jared brought him prenatal gummies, and while Richard hadn’t thanked him, he did see he was taking them.

“...I am too.” Since getting out of the hospital, Richard had been caught in thoughts of his miscarriage. If he kept going like he was going, he knew that history would repeat itself. He was now farther along than he was then, but that just meant his body could take even less of his all-night coding rampages or cereal for all three meals. Richard hadn’t talked to anyone except his doctor about this, and he felt he needed to. It weighed on his shoulders and he felt he couldn’t go forward without addressing it. Jared was, for some reason Richard felt he would never understand, the person who cared for him the most in the world. An irrational amount of devotion, truly. If Richard told Jared, he knew that he would care, and he might be the only person that would care. 

“Jared? Can I tell you something private?” He looked at Jared. “Don’t tell the guys. And don’t be weird about it.” As much as Richard felt uncomfortable with Jared’s hovering, he knew he now depended on it. And if Richard told Jared he lost a different pregnancy to his habits, then perhaps Jared could hold him accountable and prevent a repeat of these mistakes.

“Yes, Richard, I would love to know anything you have to say.” Jared smiled with that earnesty that just made Richard’s heart clench up. Jared was too good for him, too good for anyone. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Well, uh…” Richard breathed in to collect himself, his newly bandaged arm tugged at a random loose curl. “Back when I first started Pied Piper, I was pregnant then too.”

Jared looked up in confusion, then sudden worry.

“I lost it. Just before Tech Crunch. I just got caught up in my work and I...yeah.”

“Oh, Richard,” Sorrow filled Jared’s face in an instant. “I’m so sorry, I should have known.”

“No, no, Jared, it’s fine. Really.” Richard said, he suddenly felt extreme guilt over worrying Jared. He knew it would’ve upset him. “I was planning on getting an abortion anyway, but instead in body took care of it. At least it’s good for something, heh…” Richard felt instant regret at his terrible, self-deprecating joke. “That’s why I didn’t tell anyone.” As much as Richard downplayed it, or rationalized it was for the best, he still felt stinging regret and pain at what happened. To be an omega and have a miscarriage, or an omega and not want your child? It was shameful, and yet Richard also felt shame about his regret.

Jared didn’t say anything, he just took Richard into his arms again and held onto him. “It’s okay to be sad about it.”

Richard, for a moment feeling stunned, then awkwardly pat Jared back. Then, after that, melted into his hug. It felt nice to touch someone again. “Even though I think it would have ended up the same in the end, I don’t like that it ended like that. And I don’t want this time to end like that either.”

It was Richard who pulled away first, then seeing the small amounts of blood and disinfectant he stained onto Jared’s shirt. “Oh, shit, sorry-”

“It’s alright,” Jared said, seeing the small stains. “Getting blood out of clothing is a special skill of mine.” He looked at Richard once again. “I hope you get everything you want this time, whatever that may be.” There was a low burning flame inside Jared that had been eating him up since Richard came to his door that night, precisely because Richard came to _his_ door and said he needed _him._ He knew that somewhere in there, Richard needed him the same way Jared did. That night, Richard allowed himself to be open to Jared’s access. But since then, Richard pulled away. And Jared couldn’t get him back.

Richard didn’t say anything else, so Jared straightened himself out. “Well, I’ll go finish making dinner, it’s something I think you’ll like.” Jared walked out, and as he left Richard spoke up again.

“Jared?”

“Yes?”

“I’ll try to take better care of myself.”

“I’ll try to take better care of you.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Richard meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have so many fucking essays to do for homework but instead i did this. someone enjoy it pls

It was later in the day when Richard got the text. It was Gavin, he finally wanted to meet. He must have seen that article…

Richard had tried to get in contact a few times, but he didn’t beg. He left two voicemails and a text, and that was it. Gavin was the kind of man that only liked to have things on his terms. He was an alpha, and a billionaire, and an egomaniac narcissist. Gavin always wanted his way, and Richard didn’t want to come crawling begging for his attention. Richard didn’t even want his attention, really, after the last time they met he sort of hoped to never see Belson again. But, of course, it couldn’t be that simple.

Richard was nineteen weeks now, almost halfway done. Time just sort of got away from him since he was focused on Pied Piper, but he had tried to take care of himself more. Correction: he let Jared take care of him more. He would eat the meals Jared made for him that he usually ignored, and he stopped pulling eight hour code sprints and learned to take a fucking break for once.

It wasn’t long until the employees noticed Richard was pregnant. At first, the alphas working under him noticed he smelled different, and that Jared was being more hovering than usual, but eventually the baby bump appeared. Richard was still a skinny son of a bitch, but after the puking slowed down he was actually able to hold onto some weight. It was on the smaller side, so he hadn’t needed to go clothes shopping yet (thank god, he hated that), but it still stretched the fabric of his hoodies and tshirts in a noticeable way.

Richard knew he had to tell his employees, but the last time he addressed them he publicly vomited and broke his nose from the anxiety, and that was just to _introduce himself._ So he asked Jared to “just send a fucking email to the staff and get it over with.” Richard should have been a bit more specific about what should have been in the email, because he came in the next day to way too many “congratulations,” and “when’s the baby shower,” and people being unusually nice when he really just wanted people to know and ignore it. Jared meant well, he always did, and Richard wouldn’t hold it against him. 

It was a week or so later when he was unfortunately the subject of a CJ Cantwell think piece about omega leadership and Richard’s pregnancy. Fuck privacy, right?

As shitty of a circumstance that article made Richard feel, at least it got Gavin’s attention. He sent Richard the time and asked him to meet “at the usual place.”

Richard arrived at Josephine’s alone, much to Jared’s disappointment. His COO practically begged to come to protect and defend Richard, but Richard wanted to face Gavin on his own. And there the man was: sitting in the same secluded booth they always met, eating a meal with another just across. “Ah, Richard, sit. Eat.” Gavin set down his fork and gestured to the spot across from him, for a moment Richard clearly could tell his eyes caught on Richard’s bump. “You’re a skinny motherfucker, and that doesn’t bode well for, well, you know.” Gavin vaguely gestured to Richard’s stomach as he sat down.

“I already ate, Gavin.” Lie. But Jared said he would have dinner ready when he got back to the apartment. Jared was spoiling him, really, Richard was a grown man but still was living off of another person’s cooking every night. “So you got my messages.” Richard stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets under the table, he was nervous about this meeting and despite trying to put on an air of confidence his body language would betray him.

“I did. I was busy, but Richard you _really_ should have told me the _reason_ for wanting another meeting.” Gavin inhaled sharply, somewhere between annoyance and anger, and caught a whiff of the rival CEO’s scent. Last time he was here, Richard had been appealing to the alpha. He smelled like excitement of ripe fruit, or hot nectar, something Gavin could guzzle down and consume. And consume he did. Now, Richard had become appealing in a different way, something Gavin had never experienced before. Richard smelled like a mother, and an omega, he smelled like some version of a home Gavin Belson had rejected long ago. “I thought you were just asking for another round.”

Richard scoffed and picked up the glass of water to take a sip. “Never happening.” What happened between them was a mistake. It was Gavin taking advantage of Richard, or nature taking advantage of the both of them. Richard desired nothing more than to take it back.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Richard. We are starting a family now, after all.” Gavin took a sip of his own drink. “I won’t promise you a shotgun wedding, the prenup would take too long to draft. Little ‘Gavin Junior’ will just have to be a bastard.” Gavin was almost seething, just below the surface and through his teeth. He had felt angry at the lack of control he was given in this situation, he was unused to that. Part of him felt that Richard planned it all for money, or blackmail. Fuck, guess omegas _could_ do something alpha’s couldn’t.

Richard felt his skin prickle end on and at Gavin’s horrible statement. He began to chew the insides of his lips again, and his hands went protectively to his bump. By all costs he wouldn’t let Gavin get his hands on his child. “Fuck off, Gavin. I don’t want any of that shit.”

“Oh?” Gavin leaned forward. “Then what were you hammering me with calls for if not paternal support for our son?”

“I did not _hammer_ you. I just wanted you to be _aware_ of the situation.” Richard said. “And I don’t even know if it’s a boy.” Richard corrected the minor statement, he couldn’t help himself.

“Ah, yes, you missed your last sonogram to work late. I’m aware.”

“What- how the fuck do you know that!?” Richard straightened up and furrowed his eyebrows.

“You think I wouldn’t be keeping tabs on the health of my child? Richard, you must think me a deadbeat.” Gavin raised a threatening eyebrow. “By the way: get your shit sorted out before stressing yourself into another miscarriage. I won’t have my kid dying so you can build whatever shitty project you’re working on.”

It felt like a train hit Richard’s chest. How the _hell_ did Gavin know about his miscarriage, the thing he hadn’t told anyone but Jared about. Probably the same way he knew his other medical records. It hurt the way Gavin blamed him for his miscarriage and validated Richard’s fear of a repeat, so Richard tried to hurt him back. “I don’t even know if it’s yours, asshole. You’re just the last dad to get in contact with me. So maybe you are the deadbeat.” Richard said, then undermining himself with another trivial correction, “Except Erlich, of course, but I think that also falls on your behalf since you’re the one who abandoned him in in Tibet.”

“Erlich?” Gavin let out a shocked and insulting laugh, “You got fucked by _Erlich Bachman?_ Christ, if I knew you had such low standards I should have expected a polo bar instead of a zipper into your pants.” Gavin scoffed, “And the line to play, too. How many fucking ‘dads’ are there?”

Richard blushed, he felt hot at the admittedly clever insult. “Four, if you must know.”

Gavin shook his head, emasculated. “Well, didn’t know you were a slut. Hope that if it’s mine it doesn’t inherit that.”

“Well let’s both keep hoping it isn’t yours then.”

“Oh, Richard, you better.” Gavin stood up and above Richard, looking down at him threateningly. He put one hand on the table and the other on the back of Richard’s booth, and leaned in close to his face. “Because if this kid is mine, I’m going to sue the _shit_ out of you. I _will_ take what’s mine. You’ll be so fucked you’ll think you’re pregnant again.” Gavin stood back up. “Don’t fucking cross me. You’ve had me in a bind before, but don’t think that this ‘situation’ gives you _any_ power over me.” Gavin dropped a couple hundred bills on the table to pay his tab, then left the restaurant without another word.

Richard sat there in shock, and soon after fear. He clutched his stomach harder, abject instinct telling him to protect it. And abject hatred at the lingering scent of the alpha across the booth. Richard wouldn’t let Gavin have it, have his baby. Richard would scrape and claw and trick his way into keeping it, just as he had with Pied Piper.

Thoughts and plans and panic swirled in his head, but the mariachi cacophony just his thoughts with surprise instead.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyyy. so this story is un-cancelled. here's the complete version of the last chapter

“Alright, well,” Richard wrote down on a piece of paper what he, Dinesh, and Gilfoyle were planning. The three lead coders of Pied Piper were having another morning office meeting, as they did every couple days or so. “Get your guys right on that then.”

“Will do.” Gilfoyle’s eyes followed Jared as he walked into the meeting room. The tall, lanky man set down a cup of tea and an aspirin for Richard and gently touched his shoulder to alert him to it.

“Thanks, Jared.” Richard set his pen down and picked up the mug with both hands, taking the aspirin after a sip. At twenty five weeks he had been experiencing heartburn, and Jared seemed to know whenever something was wrong before Richard even mentioned it.

“You’re welcome, Richard,” Jared smiled, he then looked over at Dinesh and Gilfoyle. “Are you gents finished with your meeting yet?” Jared was meant to take Richard to another doctor appointment not soon after, and wanted to get ready to go.

“Almost, Jared.” Richard nodded.

“Yeah, get out, we’re talking about code stuff.” Dinesh said.

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to keep you off topic,” Jared brushed off Richard’s shoulder, lingering for a moment longer.

Richard, noting his hesitation, commented something that would ease him. “Just go wait in the car, I’ll be out soon.”

Jared smiled once again, then leaving without another word.

Gilfoyle, watching the lanky man leave the room just as excited as when he walked in, spoke up. “So are you two actually married now or is it still just in his head?”

Richard nearly choked on his tea, “Pardon?”

“Come on, Richard, the tender fucking touches? The constant hovering?” Dinesh complained, “You’re still living in his fucking apartment. It’s been four months, and that’s a one-bedroom.”

“I just...haven’t found my own place yet.” Richard shrugged, he set his cup down and leaned forward to the table, putting hands on his bump where the guys couldn’t see. Their friendship wasn’t one where they could be vulnerable with one another.

“Mazel to the newlyweds. I hope Jared has fun raising your cuckold child.” Gilfoyle added.

“I’m not Jewish, Gilfoyle. Why do people think I’m Jewish?” Richard muttered under his breath. “And I’m not going to make him raise my child.”

“But you won’t stop him.”

“I don’t think I could, to be completely honest.” Richard said, the others made vague hums in agreement.

“Oh, just to give you a heads up, Jared’s trying to get us to throw a surprise baby shower.” Dinesh added.

“He’s what?”

“And another heads up, neither of us are going to throw you a fucking baby shower.” Gilfoyle nodded.

“Good, I don’t want one.” Richard said. Being the center of attention is quite literally the worst place for him to be.

“Tell Jared, then.”

“I have.” Richard pinched the bridge of his nose, “He’s just...excited.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Gilfoyle’s arms remained crossed.

“If I have to hear him call you ‘radient’ or ‘glowing’ one more fucking time I might have to kill him.” Dinesh complained. “I don’t care if he’s your baby daddy I just won’t be able to stop myself.”

“Luckily for us your weak, soft body will prevent you from consummating any desire of killing the guy who runs payroll.” Gilfoyle dryly insulted.

“Fuck off, Gilfoyle.”

Before their bickering could start, Richard put an end to it. “Alright!” Richard clapped his hands together. “That’s enough. Meeting over.”

* * *

Richard read over the bow-tie noodle package’s instructions for the fourth time in ten minutes, nerotically looking between it and the boiling pot. For the past few weeks, with Jared’s help, he had been trying to learn how to prepare food for himself. All his life he had been terrible at feeding himself, preparing food always made him anxious and almost always came out burned. Since starting his company the lack of time has made that worse. He would be lucky if he even had time to get take-out. It wasn’t much, but getting used to making pre-made noodles would be a great improvement.

Jared was on the other side of his kitchen making a simple salad. His back was turned to Richard at the moment, and the CEO looked between him and his pasta as well. They had returned from work not long ago, it was another late night since they had to make up the time from Richard’s appointment.

He was twenty three weeks pregnant at that point, over halfway there. And after his appointment, Richard was really thinking about that fact. His doctor had been asking if he had set up the nursery yet, and he told her that he didn’t even have his own apartment yet. Richard realized he had been so focused on just getting through this pregnancy he forgot there was an _after,_ that he had to have shit prepared for the baby. And he was still taking lessons on being an adult from Jared.

RIchard was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of hissing and splashing on the stove. “Shit! _shit, shit,-”_ Richard picked up the pot from it’s spot on the stove, then quickly set it back down because the handles burned his hands, but the movement had caused more boiling water to spill around. “Oh shit-”

“Richard?” Jared turned around to see the spectacular mess that had unfolded in just a few seconds. “Oh no, are your hands burnt?”

“Not badly-” Richard said, he quickly turned off the stove and grabbed paper towels to clean up. He got down on his knees and started wiping his mess up.

“Oh, Richard-” Jared got the dishwashing towel and lowered himself to the floor as well to clean up water. “It’s alright, I’ll handle this. You shouldn’t be getting on your knees.”

“It’s _fine-_ ow-” Richard felt his fingertips be scalded once again by the boiling water.

Wordlessly, Jared set down the towel and took hold of Richard’s hands to see the burns. Jared’s eyes looked them over with concern, and Richard’s eyes were looking at Jareds. Anxiety was still pulling at his heart, but a different brand of nervousness now made it do flips. “Jared? I’m fine…”

“Yes, the burns don’t look too bad.” Jared looked up at Richard and let his hands go. “I’ll make you some tea, the bags are helpful for minor burns.” 

Richard pulled his hands away slowly, and picked up more paper towels to dry the floor. “They are?”

“Yes. It was a trick I learned while living with my foster-father. The tea bags are good for small burns.” Jared said, but didn’t add on further and neither did Richard ask him too.

After a moment the water on the floor was picked up, and the two men got off the floor. Richard, unused to his new center of balance, noticed how Jared wordlessly gave him a hand to get up, and his heart flipped again. “Sorry for getting water everywhere and ruining dinner.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, Richard. You gave it your best effort.” Jared said. “Go sit down, I’ll bring you some tea and finish cleaning this up.” Jared smiled at Richard, and unrolled some more paper towels to wipe up the water from the stove.

Richard stood there watching for a moment, but then moved away. He didn’t want to fuck up dinner anymore. He left the kitchen and looked down at his hoodie. He got it soaked with pasta water, great. Richard stripped it off and went to the bedroom to get another from his suitcase. Four months since getting kicked out and he was still living out of his suitcase? God, he needed to get it together. How is it that everything he owned was in a pile on Jared’s floor?

He pulled out another hoodie and pulled it on, but didn’t zip it up like he usually did. Mostly because he couldn’t anymore. Since before he had even been showing, he had been using his trusty hoodies to cover up and feel safe. But now some of them didn’t zip up anymore, and he felt unsettled.

Unsettled. Is that really the best word? He felt uncomfortable with his living situation, in his own abilities and capabilities. He felt unsettled in the way people looked at him lately, and he had never been comfortable in his own body. _Just a few more months._ That’s what he had been telling himself since this started, but after his appointment he had to stop telling himself that.

His baby was sucking their thumb. He saw it on the ultrasound, he saw all their little toes too. His baby wasn’t just a problem for Richard to figure out, they were a _person_ that is going to be born and is going to need Richard to take care of them. The baby needed a nursery, and diapers, and for Richard not to dump boiling water all over the kitchen when trying to make a basic meal. 

Richard sighed and moved over to the living room, taking out his phone. Gilfoyle and Dinesh were right, he needed to find his own place. He got comfortable on the couch in his normal hunched over position and began looking through exorbitantly priced two-bedroom listings, and that’s when he felt it. Kicking...the baby was kicking him?

He had felt it move before, flutters and position changes, but this was the first time it was honest to god kicks. A similar skip of heart beat came to him, and a small but puzzled smile crept on his face. He put a hand down to feel it absently, and the baby was strong enough for him to feel it on the outside. That’s when the little glimmer of giddiness turned back into anxiety. God, he needed to find an apartment.

“Richard? Here’s your tea.” Jared suddenly appeared behind Richard, causing the nervous man to jump and put his arms back to his side. 

“Jesus!” Richard was startled. “You just snuck right up on me.” He let out nervous laughter and took the mug slowly, as not to spill.

“Ah, yes. Learning to be silent on my feet was a necessity back when I worked for Gavin. ‘Stop clomping around like a giant, you dolt, or I’ll cut your Achilles tendon,’ as he said.” Jared let out another one of his concerning laughs.

“Oh,” Richard semi-grimaced. A chill went down his spine again when he remembered that this kid might be his. He felt a surge of protective instinct at the thought of Gavin hurting his child. Richard took a sip of his tea, it was his favorite. He was glad the morning sickness didn’t make him hate it anymore.

Jared sat down on the couch and Richard felt his heart flip again when he leaned over to pluck the tea bag out. Jared then tapped his hand to non-verbally ask for it, and pressed the warm bag over Richard’s burns.

Jared was right. It did soothe his burns.

But it didn’t soothe his nerves. Feeling Jared’s surprisingly warm hands hold his own so gently made Richard feel...he didn’t know. It wasn’t something he had felt in a long time, but it was something Jared had been making him feel with increasing frequency. He took another sip of his tea to hide what he begrudgingly admitted to himself was a blush.

“Hey, Jared?” Richard slowly pulled his hand away and took the tea bag instead, pressing it onto his burns. “I, uh, I’m going to look into moving out…”

The expression in Jared’s eye could be best described as confusion, and secondly hurt. “Moving out?”

“Yeah- well, you know. This was never meant to be permanent, and you need your bed back. Getting the pull-out every night has got to be a hassle for you. And, well...I need to build a nursery. Be a real adult, have a place for _them_ to live.” Richard vaguely gestured to his bump. He sighed. “I’ve got to get it together, and stop relying on you so much. You deserve more than that.”

Jared nodded, listening intently. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well. You’re always taking care of me, cleaning up my messes. You deserve more than just taking care of me…” Richard knew he was a fucking mess. He had no idea what he did to get Jared’s devotion, but he knew he didn’t deserve it. He knew that Jared deserved someone else. Jesus, he _just_ spilled boiling water all over his kitchen. He was pregnant with probably another person’s child, and...he already rejected Jared. That night when they were together, Richard had never felt so cared for, so welcome in someone’s arms. Yet that morning he asked Jared to never speak of it, to never say anything about it. “And I’m going to have this baby soon. I’ve got to figure out how to take care of myself to take care of this kid. You shouldn’t have to do that.”

Jared nodded and his eyebrows tilted in concern. He sat up, and tilted toward Richard closer. “Richard...can I be candid with you for a moment?”

“Sure?”

Jared gently cleared his throat. “I’m glad that you’re trying to be more independent, that’s important, but to be honest that makes me worried. Richard, you’re a hot mess, you’re a young colt fresh on the race track. You’re beautiful and knobby-kneed, you run fast but trip too often.”

“What?” Richard was confused with this metaphor, but Jared continued without further elaboration.

“I’m worried for you, Richard. I know your child will be lucky to have you, but I also think they’ll need a little more...support than just you.”

Richard couldn’t help but nod and agree. “Yeah...I’m a hot mess. I can’t take care of myself, and I know I won’t be able to take care of this kid.” Richard set his mug down and pulled his hands behind his neck, the way he did when he got anxious. “Oh god- this was a mistake.”

“Richard, no,” Jared put a hand on Richard’s shoulder. “This is a blessing. You’re going to love this kid, and I know one day you’ll be able to stand on your feet.” 

Richard’s heart flipped again, but it pulled on him. Jared had so much faith in him, he hoped he could live up to that. “I- I don’t know.”

Jared nodded. “Richard, I think you do need to take that first step and find your own place. But...I think we are both wary of you doing that alone.”

“For good reason.” Again: hot boiling water all over the kitchen.

“I can Air BnB my condo again and help you get settled. If you would have me, of course.” Jared offered.

“...I’d like that.” Richard nodded. His heart fluttered once again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter takes place just after the 51% attack during the season 5 finale

He did it. He fucking did it. Suck it Laurie, suck it Yao, and _suck it_ Gavin.

Finally, there were no fucking obsticales. Now that they were at the 51% threshold, Pied Piper secured the new internet for good, and the price of their crypto coin was going up. It was a good day, and it was time to party. So, they were. The joyous remains of Pied Piper were celebrating! 

The offices were abuzz with laughter, drinks, and karaoke, but Richard was not taking part. No, for now, he was in the stock room trying to calm down. Fuck he was panicing, just after solving the attack and everything was okay, another fucking problem was making headway. _Literally._

He couldn’t be going into labor, _fuck_ he couldn’t be. Although the current wave of his contractions passed, his panic lasted throughout. Fuck, oh fuck.

He wasn’t due yet, he wasn’t due for another month. Did the stress of the attack cause this? Was he going to lose another kid to the stress?

He tried to wait out the next wave of contractions, but this time he couldn’t. Warm liquid began soaking down his leg, and then he knew his water broke. Fuck no, _no._ His panic didn’t leave, but rationality came quick enough that he could ask for help. He texted Jared.

**Jared, in stockroom, going into labor, help.**

It was literally seconds until Jared came into the stock room. “Richard!” Jared looked him over with extreme concern, and held Jared’s arm so gently but with support.

Richard knew he could count on Jared, he knew it in his bones. Reaching for him had become instinct at this point, Jared almost never left his side. 

The last few months had been strange. Richard moved out, and Jared went with him. Still sleeping on the couch, but this time it was Richard’s. Rejecting Series B put a lot of strain on the company, but it gave them more time at least. More time to be together at home, doing things. They had set up Richard’s apartment, built a nursery, and have just been...living. Neither said it, but their feelings had grown. That’s a lie, Jared said it. He said it in every gentle action, every ‘Richard,’ every time he brought him tea. Richard said it too, every time he didn’t reject his touches, everytime he asked for his help because he knew Jared loved to give.

“Jared, hi, _ow-”_ Richard held his side again. It hurt, oh god it hurt more than anything had ever hurt. He grimaced hard.

Jared looked him up and down again, his own face grimaced in sympathy. “Come on, let’s go to the hospital now.” He came closer to hold him up.

“Okay, okay-” Richard nodded, and the two of them went out the back door.

* * *

The first thing Richard did when he woke up in his private room was give a deep sigh and rub his eyes. The second thing he did was see the little baby in the little glass box next to him. Oh. Right.

He and Jared got to the hospital last afternoon, Richard was sent to the delivery ward, then a couple hours later...baby. Yeah. He was hopped up on an epidural and anti-anxiety meds so he doesn’t remember much, but he remembered holding her for the first time, and seeing her face, and feeling an absolute rush of love unlike anything he’d ever felt. And seeing her again in the light of early morning, he felt it again.

“Hey…” Richard got up slowly from his hospital bed, god he was so sore. He stood up and put her in his arms, careful to hold the head the way Jared had told him to. It was then he heard a knock at the door. “Uh, come in?”

“Hello, Mr. Hendricks,” A nurse came in with a clipboard and a bottle. “Ah, I see she’s awake already.”

“Um,” Richard looked between the nurse and his baby, then noticing her eyes were, in fact, open. He sat back onto the bed with her, unsure what to do. “Huh, she is.”

“You should have called for a nurse when you woke up, but it seems you’ve got this handled. You’re a natural.” The nurse nodded.

Richard chuckled by the surprise. It was the first time anyone had ever called him that. The nurse handed him the bottle, and Richard slowly got her to start feeding.

“There’s someone that’s been waiting for you all night in the waiting room. A ‘Donald Dunn’?” The nurse informed him. “Should I let him in?”

“Wait- _all night?!”_ Richard was surprised, though he thought he really shouldn’t be. “Yeah, Jesus, let him in.”

The nurse left the room with a nod, leaving Richard alone to feed his kid. In one part of him, he felt very anxious being left alone with something so fragile and small, but at the same time there was nothing that felt more right.

“Richard?” Jared was at the door minutes later, a big bouquet from the gift shop in hand. Normally he would have rushed immediately to Richard’s side, but for the moment he was struck in awe at the sight of Richard in the golden sunlight holding his baby. There was nothing more beautiful, and he couldn’t help the tears that came to his eyes.

“Jared? Oh you brought flowers. Oh, you’re crying.” Richard said, he would’ve got up to do something about it, but he had his hands busy at the moment.

“Sorry,” Jared wiped his eyes with his un-bouqeted hand. “You’re just so beautiful.”

“Jared-” Richard was flushing red.

“And your baby is so beautiful too.” Jared came closer and set his flowers down, then sitting right next to Richard to see the baby. “Are they a boy or girl? I’m not family, so they wouldn’t tell me.” Jared said.

“Uh, girl. A little girl.” Richard nodded. He had waited to find out until the birth. He felt like finding out would just make him anxious, or expect too much one way or the other. This way felt more right.

“Oh, a beautiful little girl. I can tell she’ll be as beautiful and talented as you one day.” Jared said.

“Well don’t doom her.” Richard muttered to herself.

“Nonsense, Richard, you’re wonderful. And so is she.” Jared put a hand on Richard’s shoulder, then used his finger to gently touch her soft cheek. “What’s her name?”

“Hm?” Oh god. Richard just realized he never gave her a name. He never even _chose_ of a name. “...Uh…it’s...it’s Piper.” 

“...Piper?” Jared raised an eyebrow, more confused than questioning.

“Uh...yeah. She’s Piper.” Richard looked back down to avoid his blush.

“Ah...well. It’s a beautiful name.” Jared nodded. After a moment, he pulled out his phone and began drafting an email. “I’ll announce the birth with a company-wide email. Should I tell everyone your room number to visit?”

Richard shook his head. “God no.”

“Just the guys then? And, well, I guess Monica should know…” Jared looked at Richard, and under those excited blue eyes Richard had no choice but to yield.

“Alright...but bring me a change of clothes first. Gilfoyle will eat me alive if he sees me in a hospital gown.”

* * *

“Hey, Richard-” Monica knocked on the door. In her hand she had a balloon, and behind her were Dinesh and Gilfoyle; who followed behind with their own monotone “Hey Richard”s.

“Hey, guys.” Richard gave a slight wave with two fingers, since he was holding Piper in his arms. He was sitting in the armchair beside the bed, wearing a fresh change of clothes Jared brought him from home as he asked.

“So this is Piper?” Monica pulled her hair back behind her ear and looked down at the child. She smiled, but there was a bit of hidden disgust in her face. “She’s so...red. Cute.” Monica grinned. Yeah, she wasn’t a baby person. Never was. She set the balloon stop down on a table.

“I can’t believe you named your baby after your company.” Dinesh said. It would’ve been a rib, but his voice was just so full of astonished disappointment.

“That’s not what-”

“I was wrong about you being married to Jared. I should’ve seen how committed you were to the company, seeing as you named Piper Junior after your lifetime love.” Gilfoyle crossed his arms and looked down at the newborn imposingly.

 _“Okay-_ I get it. I just...I came up with it on the spot.” Richard thought he say he’d change it, but that would make them rib him even more. “I just like the name, okay?!?” Richard straightened out his posture and held the baby closer, like he was subconsciously keeping it closer to protect.

“And it’s a beautiful name,” Jared put a hand on his shoulder, then gave one of his crazed death glares to Gilfoyle and Dinesh.

The three of them hung around for a couple more minutes, saying nothing in particular, when another two guests showed up. First was Bighead, and the second a man in a black suit.

“Hey, Richard.” Bighead waved with his free hand, the other holding his usual Big Gulp.

“You’re Richard Hendricks?” Said the tall man in a black suit. “Uh...yes?”

The man stepped forward and held an envelope forward, Richard adjusted his hold of Piper with great care before getting a hold of it. “You’ve been served.”

“Oh shit-” Dinesh raised his eyebrows, and the man left as quickly as he came in.

“Shit-” Richard’s anxiety spiked.

Jared took the envelope from him and began reading. “It’s Gavin, he’s suing for full custody.”

Richard groaned, of course, of _fucking_ course. He held his child closer, fear was making him protective once again. He’d only had this child for less than twelve hours, but he could _never_ let Gavin lay a hand on her. _”Great.”_

“Richard, it’ll work out. He’s not on the birth certificate, right? This won’t go anywhere unless he can prove paternity.” Monica said. “Which, on his own, he can’t.” She shrugged. She hoped to calm him down a bit, primarily because she didn’t want Richard to freak out in the moment. She decided to put asking for a paternity test back for later, once things were more settled.

“Hmm…” Richard hummed and screwed his face in that way where his lips were really tight, and he kept his eyes cast onto his baby.

Monica pressed her lips together as well and looked around. “Well. Uh. Nice to meet her, but I’ve got a _thing,_ a work _thing.”_ It was a blatant lie. They worked together now. She was their CFO, not their VC. “See you when you get back.” She waved and left the room. Dinesh and Gilfoyle decided not to stay much longer either.

“Look Richard, it’s great to see your spawn and all, but I’ve got to get back to work as well.” Gilfoyle gave a secure, firm nod before walking out the door. “See you in twelve to fourteen weeks as our company maternity leave policy mandates. Goodbye.”

Dinesh sucked in air through his teeth, “Yeah, I’m gonna head out too. Nice baby.” Dinesh started to head out, but then turned back. “Also, I didn’t get you anything off the baby registry. Tesla payments, y’know.”

“There was a baby registry?” Richard said, Jared nodded. Of course he made one.

“Anyway bye-” Dinesh walked out.

 _“Assholes.”_ Richard muttered under his breath. Well, he didn’t expect anything different really. _This_ was why he didn’t want Jared to invite them.

“Oh. Good to see you two!” Bighead waved goodbye to his former roommates, then came closer to sit in the chair next to Richard. “Whoa! Cute baby, dude!”

“Hi, Bighead.” Richard said. “Thanks.” He smiled a little bit, some amount of pride and happiness welled within him. Bighead, as big of an airhead as he was, could always make him feel a little better.

“I heard her name is Piper? Like your company?” Bighead asked, he touched the newborn’s hand with his finger, and laughed a bit when it grasped.

“Yeah…”

“That’s so cool.” Bighead smiled. “Man, babies are so cool. Wish I could have one…”

Richard blinked for a moment at that statement. Was...was he serious? “Bighead?”

“Hm?”

“You know you’re also an omega, right? You’re, like, literally the only other male omega I know.” Richard looked at him. “You can have a baby if you want.”

“Oh, yeah, I know.” Bighead chuckled. “Just not ready for that, ha. Can I hold her?”

“Um…” Richard looked down at the baby in his arms. He hadn’t let anyone else hold her yet. Jared got her for a second when he went to the bathroom to change, but he hadn’t handed her off to anyone yet. He felt...nervous? “Sure, uh…” Richard held her a little closer. “In a minute.”

“Sweet.”

* * *

Richard woke up once again, this time the light was gone and it was dark. Those post-labor painkillers he was on made him tired. When he woke up, Jared was still there. He was holding the baby, looking out of the window, and humming softly to her. Richard thought to show he was awake by saying something, but he didn’t.

For now, he wanted nothing more than to watch as Jared held his child, and to listen to his voice as he hummed soft lullabies, and to drift back asleep. For the moment, he could rest. For the moment, everything could be okay. For the moment, they could just all be quietly together. For the moment, he could wish this could be forever.


End file.
